Raphael Kirchner collection

A selection of postcards by the great Raphael Kirchner.

Raphael Kirchner (5 May 1875 – 2 August 1917) was an Austrian artist, principally a portrait painter and illustrator best known for Art Nouveau and early pin-up work, especially in picture postcard format. His work served as an early inspiration to Peruvian painter Alberto Vargas, who had a career in the United States for the film and men's magazine industry.

Born in 1875 in Vienna, Kirchner attended the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna.  He moved to Paris in 1900, making illustrations for such magazines as La Vie Parisienne.  In 1914, at the outbreak of World War I, Kirchner moved to the United States, where he lived in New York City until his death in 1917.

For a definitive history of Kirchner’s life and work as a postcard artist see “Raphael Kirchner’s Postcards” by Pia and Antonio Dell’Aquila (2024 Daniella Dell’Aquila).